Vegetable slicing or cutting machine.



' PATBNTED SEPT. 1, 1908.

H. E. MADDEN. VEGETABLE SLIGING OR CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.25, 1907.

Q/Vi hmooeo HARLAND E. MADDEN, OF HEBRON, OHIO.

VEGETABLE SLICING OR CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 1, 1908.

Application filed October 25, 1907. Serial No. 399,086.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARLAND E. MADDEN, citizen of the United States, residing at Hebron, in the county of Licking and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vegetable Slicing or Outting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the improvement of vegetable slicing or cutting machines and the objects of my invention are to provide a simple, reliable and efiective machine of this class by means of which vegetables may be uniformly and rapidly sliced to provide improved means for regulating the thickness of the slice produced; to provide improved means for feeding the last slice of the potato or other vegetable into the discharge opening and to produce other improvements the details of which will be more fully pointed out hereinafter. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of my improved machine, Fig. 2 is a detail view in perspective of the slicing table showing a portion of one of its side frame pieces broken away for the sake of clearness in illustration, Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the machine on line a;:x: of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a detail view in perspective of a cutting frame which I employ in the manner hereinafter described, Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through a por tion of one of the slicing frame side pieces showing the manner of holding the cutter plate in place, and, Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view on line y'y of Fig. 3.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a framework consisting of suitably supported and connected horizontal side frame bars 1 and on the inner side of each of these frame bars I provide a recess or kerf 2 in which kerfs are slidably supported the laterally projecting flanges 3 of the vertical and parallel sides 3 of a slicing frame 3. The side pieces of the slicing frame 3 are connected at their ends by cross pieces 3 c of less height than said sides. In the construction of the said slicing frame side portions, the same are preferably produced of two sections which are united by bolts 4, the inner sec tions 3 being as shown, in the nature of channel bars which have their outturned side portions abutting against the inner faces of the outer sections.

5 represents a stationary cutter plate, the ends of which are removably supported in slotted openings formed longitudinally in the inner sections of the side pieces 3 at the cen ters of their lengths. This plate 5 is detachably held in its position across the center of the slicing frame, by means of a pin 6 which projects upwardly from the free end of a spring strip 7 (see Fig. 5), the remaining end of which is secured to the underside of the top portion of one of the side pieces 3 of the slicing frame. This pin 6 passes through 0 enings formed respectively in said cutter p ate and frame top. The plate 5 is provided on its underside with parallel cutting blades 8 which extend in thedirection of the length of the machine and which are inclined from their outer ends upward to the underside of the cutter plate. The outer sections 3 of the side frame pieces 3 are provided at intervals with oppositely located vertical slots 9 and through these slotted openings extend the laterally projecting pins 10 of horizontal plates 11. There are two of these plates and they are arranged respectively-in front and in rear of the plate 5. The plates 11 which form floor sections for the slicing frame are, as shown, supported below the surface of the plate 5 and are adjustable vertically in the manner hereinafter described.

The outwardly projecting plate pins 10 are pivotally connected with the upper ends of nks or short bars. 12, the lower ends of which are pivotally connected, as shown, with bars 13, these bars extending longitudinally, as shown, within the channels or housing formed by the uniting of the inner and outer sections of the side pieces of the slicing frame. The bars 13 extend through one end of the slicing frame and are connected with the end portions of a transverse adjusting bar 14, at the center of which is formed a threaded opening through which passes an adjusting screw 15, the inner end of the latter being rotatably connected with the end 3 of the slicing frame.

Near each end of the machine I bridge the slicing frame with a fixed transverse bar 16 through a threaded opening in which passes centrally a vertical adjusting screw 17, the latter being as shown more clearly in Fig. 6, rotatably connected at its lower end with a transverse bar 18 from the under side of which depends a stop plate or apron 19, the height of the lower edge of the latter from the upper surface of the plate 11 being regulated by the rotation of said screw 17. ing from the supporting framework of the machine at about the center of the length thereof are the vertical frame pieces 20 of a hopper, which vertical frame pieces are connected by horizontal frame pieces 20., This hopper frame supports avertical casing 21 open at its upper and lower ends and within which is adapted to be moved vertically a plunger 22 which has a vertical handle or stem portion 22.

In the lower portion of the hopper casing, I support, through the medium of upwardly extending arms 23 which engage the upper end of the hopper casing, a cutting or shaping frame 24, the latter being in the nature of a square or oblong open frame and having one or more transverse knife bars 25 arranged between its sides. Upon this cutting frame 24 is adapted to be detachably supported an upper cutting frame 26 corresponding in construction with the frame 24 with the exception that the knife or knives 27 of said frame 26 extend at right angles with the knife bar 25. V 7

At one end of the machine, I ournal transversely in the supportingframework a shaft 28, the outer portion of which carries a driving wheel 29, which may have a crank projection for operation by hand or which may be otherwise rotated if desired. With the rim portion of this wheel I pivotally connect a pitman 30 which extending toward the opposite end of the machine is pivotally connected with a pin or rod 31 which in turn is connected with the end of the slicing frame.

In utilizing my invention the vegetables to be sliced are fed into the hopper and on to the upper cutting or shaping frame 26. By then pressing the plunger downward, it will be understood that the vegetable will be forced through the openings formed by the crossed cutter blades 25 and 27, thus depositing the vegetable upon one of the plates 11 in sections, the slicing frame having pre-' viously been moved until one of said plates 11 is beneath the hopper. The rotation of the wheel 29 and consequent backward and forward sliding movement of the slicing frame, results in bringing the sections of the vegetable which rest upon the plates 11, in contact with the transverse edges of the plate 5 and with the knife blades 8, the former slicing the vegetable horizontally and the latter cutting the slices thus formed vertically into desirable widths. It will be un- Risderstood that the vegetablesv deposited on .the plates 11 will be prevented from being formed being by contact'with the plates 19,

forced into and permitted to drop through the opening between the inner ends of the plates 11. 7

It will be understood that the thickness of the vegetable slice produced may be regulated by turning the screw 15, thereby moving the bars 13 longitudinally and, through the movement of the links 12, imparting an upward or downward adjustment to the plates 11. When it is desired to remove the cutter plate 5, the pin 6 may be depressed until out of engagement with said cutter plate and the plate readily withdrawn.

In case the separation of the vegetable into comparatively small sections is not desired, and larger slices are to be produced, it is obvious that one or both of the cutter frames 24 and 26 may be lifted out of the hopper before the vegetables are introduced therein.

What I claim, is:

In a vegetable slicing machine, the combination with a supporting framework and a hopper mounted thereon, of a slicing frame slidably mounted in said framework, a fixed cutter plate extending between the sides of the slicing frame, floor plates on opposite sides of said cutting plate, slidably mounted longitudinal bars links pivoted to said bars and to said floor plates, a transverse bar connecting the ends of said longitudinally disposed bars, an adjusting screw engaging a threaded opening in said transverse bar and engaging one end of the slicing frame, and

in presence of two witnesses.

HARLAND E. MADDEN. Witnesses:

A. L. PHELPs, L. CARL STOUGHTON. 

